9/11’s Plan B: The F-16 pilots prepared to sacrifice themselves to stop United Flight 93
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With United Airlines Flight 93 headed towards Washington on September 11, 2001, two F-16 pilots prepared to carry out an extraordinary mission as a last resort. If they could not shoot down the hijacked Boeing 757, they would ram it.
First Lieutenant Heather “Lucky” Penney and Lieutenant Colonel Marc “Sass” Sasseville of the District of Columbia Air National Guard took off from Andrews Air Force Base knowing they might have to sacrifice themselves to stop another attack on the nation’s capital.
The National Museum of the United States Air Force describes their assignment as “a suicide mission with full intention of ramming the Boeing 757 to protect national security.”
They never had to carry out the plan.
By the time the fighters were airborne, the passengers and crew of Flight 93 had already fought back. The aircraft crashed in Pennsylvania at 10:03 am, about 20 minutes flying time from Washington.
US air defences faced an unfamiliar threat
In 2001, America’s air defence system was designed to counter overseas threats. It was unprepared for several domestic aircraft to be used as weapons. Three aircraft had already struck their targets that morning.
American Airlines Flight 11 hit the World Trade Centre’s North Tower at 8:46 am. United Airlines Flight 175 struck the South Tower at 9:03 am. American Airlines Flight 77 hit the Pentagon at 9:37 am.
Flight 93 left Newark for San Francisco at 8:42 am. According to the Flight 93 National Memorial, the hijacking began at about 9:28 am. Instead of proceeding along its route to California, the aircraft turned southeast towards Washington.
Evidence recovered after the crash showed that Washington had been entered into the aircraft’s navigation system. Investigators concluded the most likely target was the US Capitol.
F-16s at Andrews were not armed for the mission
Penney and Sasseville were based at Andrews Air Force Base outside Washington. Their 121st Fighter Squadron was not then operating the round-the-clock armed alert mission that protects the capital today.
An official Air National Guard history of September 11 records that there was no time to arm their F-16s properly before launching. The fighters carried training ammunition rather than the weapons normally required for an interception.
That left a last-ditch plan B—if necessary, they would use the F-16s as weapons.
Sasseville and Penney later described how they planned to divide the task. Sasseville would strike the cockpit. Penney would hit the tail, making the aircraft uncontrollable.
Flight 93’s passengers were already fighting back
The pilots did not know that another attempt to stop Flight 93 was already underway inside the aircraft.
Passengers and crew used Airfones and mobile phones to contact relatives, authorities and United Airlines. The National Park Service says 13 people aboard Flight 93 made 37 calls between the hijacking at 9:28 am and the crash at 10:03 am.
Through those calls they learned that other aircraft had already been deliberately flown into the World Trade Centre and Pentagon. The passengers realised they were not experiencing a conventional hijacking. Their aircraft was likely another weapon. They chose to fight back.
At approximately 9:57 am, passengers and crew began their assault on the cockpit. The cockpit voice recorder captured the hijackers violently rolling and pitching the 757 as they tried to stop the attack.
The National Park Service timeline shows that the struggle continued until the aircraft crashed at 10:03:11 am, near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
Everyone aboard was killed.
Flight 93 crashed before the fighters launched
The 9/11 Commission Report found that the military did not learn Flight 93 had been hijacked until after it crashed.
Confusion continued in Washington, where officials still believed another hostile aircraft could be approaching the capital.
The first DC Air National Guard fighter launched from Andrews at 10:38 am, 35 minutes after Flight 93 crashed.
An official Air Force history, 9/11: The First 109 Minutes, says the Andrews fighters responded to a request originating with the US Secret Service.
The 113th Wing’s commander, General David Wherley, interpreted the instructions as “weapons free,” allowing pilots to act against aircraft threatening Washington.
The National Park Service estimates Flight 93 was only about 18 to 20 minutes from Washington when it crashed. The passengers made the dramatic interception unnecessary.
September 11 changed Washington’s air defences
The military worked to ensure the improvised response of September 11 did not become the norm. The 113th Wing says its Aerospace Control Alert mission was created that day as a direct result of the attacks. Today, armed fighters and crews remain ready to respond to airborne threats around Washington.
Penney and Sasseville have resisted suggestions that they were the heroes of the Flight 93 story. Speaking to CBS News, Penney said she and Sasseville owed their lives to the people aboard the aircraft. Sasseville similarly credited the passengers and crew who “paid the ultimate price.”
Their revolt prevented Flight 93 from reaching Washington, ensuring the extraordinary last resort Penney and Sasseville were prepared to carry out was never needed.
